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Bonnie Brush vigil: East Kentwood High School teacher leaves 'bigger than life' legacy

Taylor Colbert wipes a tear during a candlelight vigil for her teacher, Bonnie Brush, at East Kentwood High School on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. Brush, an English teacher at East Kentwood High School, died in a car crush Sunday in Ann Arbor.
(Lauren Petracca | MLive.com)

KENTWOOD, MI -- To her students and colleagues at East Kentwood High School, English teacher Bonnie Brush was larger than life.

Brush, 43, challenged students but kept them engaged with her wit, "corny" jokes and spontaneity. Her relationships went beyond classroom conversation -- she cared about students' personal lives. She cheered for them from the sidelines of sports games, danced in the front row of pep assemblies and volunteered backstage at musicals.

Brush, who was killed Sunday in a car crash near Ann Arbor, even left a mark on the hearts of those who didn't have her as a teacher, such as one student who, at a candlelight vigil on Wednesday, admitted to skipping other classes to visit with Brush.

East Kentwood alumna Shaka Campbell summed up how many students feel about Brush, saying "she was literally everything in a teacher I could've asked for."

Former students Arreile Long and Maaliyah Edge quickly got to work organizing the July 31 vigil when they heard the tragic news of Brush's death. She deserved to be honored, they said.

Bonnie BrushCourtesy Photo

About a dozen students, parents and staff spoke Wednesday, sharing their memories of Brush, most of their stories touching on her humor. Brush would joke with students from across the hallway. Her laughter could be heard from neighboring classrooms.

"She went to clown school. She was in the Peace Corps. She danced. She made cupcakes," said fellow English teacher Linda Fletke, who started her tenure with Brush in 2001. "She absolutely was bigger than life. We will have this huge void."

Brush wasn't married, but she had "tons" of kids, Fletke said.

Edge transferred to East Kentwood her sophomore year and didn't know a soul. The school was large and intimidating. She found her first best friend in Brush, she said.

"We hung out at lunch and class. I talked to her about everything, not only school," Edge said. "We were compatible."

Students presented Brush's mother and brother with homemade cards. Her mom, Maureen Brush, said she wasn't surprised by the crowd that came out for the vigil.

"The whole world was Bonnie's oyster for doing what her passion was. Her passion was teaching English, making it fun to learn, and she was a natural born comedian," Maureen Brush said.

The high school's band capped the vigil with the fight song and Motown songs. Brush wouldn't have wanted those in attendance to be sad, East Kentwood High School Principal John Keenoy told the group.

"She would want us laughing and celebrating and maybe telling a joke or two," Keenoy said. "Look around tonight and see the inspiration Ms. Brush had on her students, and tonight we celebrate that."